FIFA candidates head to Qatar

MIAMI — Four of the candidates for president of FIFA are heading to Qatar for meetings Saturday, with one of them, South African Tokyo Sexwale, saying “the time for alliances is coming.” The development suggests that electoral horse-trading might be about to begin in the battle to replace Sepp Blatter as head of football’s world governing body. Spokesmen for the frontrunners, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa and Gianni Infantino, and for Sexwale confirmed to Reuters that they will be in Doha for a game Saturday and to meet with Asian member associations of FIFA. A spokesman for Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein, also a candidate, later confirmed he would be travelling to Qatar for Saturday’s game — the final of the Asian Football Confederation Under-23 Championship between South Korea and Japan. Jerome Champagne, a former FIFA deputy general secretary, declined to comment on whether he would also be in Qatar. Speaking on South Africa’s Metro FM radio Thursday, Sexwale confirmed that he would also be in Qatar as a “guest of Sheikh Salman” and hinted at eventual support for an Asian candidate. “The time for alliances is coming. This is the new thing that I am saying. It is healthy, democratic and it is good. “If I see that Tokyo’s chances are not good ... I am still FIFA, but which president would I want? The time for alliances will come,” he said. That time would be before the Feb. 26 vote, he said. “We are now talking, this one is talking to me, that one is talking to me. But who is talking? We are brothers, we are colleagues, we are comrades in arms,” Sexwale said. — Reuters